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British Petroleum wants to continue with pressure testing, Obama admin has other ideas.
The original deadline for the containment cap has passed(Sunday afternoon) . The two sides seem to be squaring off as far as what to do next. BP(BP) wants to extend the testing for a yet to be determined length of time. However, the Obama administration, under the plan put together by retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen; seems to be wanting to release some of the pressure that is building under the cap. The oil that would be released would be pumped into containment vessels.
According to an AP report, some scientists are speculating that the low pressure readings from the monitoring equipment on the cap might mean that there is seepage somewhere else. While releasing the cap even for a short time would probably mean more headaches for BP, is it the right thing to do until they firmly decide that there is a problem?
“While we are pleased that no oil is currently being released into the Gulf of Mexico and want to take all appropriate action to keep it that way, it is important that all decisions are driven by the science,” Allen said in a news release.
At the moment both BP and the Obama administration have not decided when to end the testing currently being done on the oil well. Robots that had been idle have been reportedly seen doing something around the cap but it is not clear exactly what they are doing. At the moment the well is capped until the relief well is in place or until the Allen Plan is put into place.
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